With a pair of wins last Thursday, the Becker Bulldogs wrestling team pushed its record to 22-1 on the season, and in the process tied the school record for most dual wins by a team.
The Bulldogs have done it with a combination of youth and experience, as well as depth that allows the team to mix and match the lineup each night to position itself for the best chance to win.
The efforts of this team have certainly caught the attention of co-head coach Matt Aho, who came into the year with high hopes, but many question marks because of the uncertainty surrounding the competition season.
“That 22 win mark ties the record for most dual wins in a season in the Becker wrestling program history,” said Aho. “We’re proud of how hard the kids are working and we’re seeing the results on the mat.”
Overall, Thursday was a great night for Becker in general, as they wrestled a total of 28 individual matches and lost just two. The result was a combined team score advantage of 151 points for the Bulldogs to just six between its two opponents.
67-6 over Magic
In the opening match of the triangular, Becker outpaced Mississippi 8 rival Monticello with a dominant victory, winning 12 of the 14 matches. Becker was aided in the effort by picking up five forfeit wins in the individual weight classes.
Kaden Nicolas started off the match with a technical fall at 106 pounds, while Drew May (120), Ryan Boecker (126) and Owen Angell (138) each picked up forfeit wins.
Lukas Paulson scored a technical fall at 145 for the Bulldogs, followed by three straight second period pins from Adam Jurek (152), Kylen Rish (160) and Tyson Ricker (170).
Becker finished the match with two forfeits (Caden DeWall at 195 and Dylan Kolby at 285), a Dylan Weber decision at 182 and a fall by Bryce Kuschel at 220.
“The win over Monticello puts us at 6-0 in the conference with one more conference match to go against North Branch on Thursday,” said Aho, as his team closes in on a possible Mississippi 8 Conference championship.
Thursday’s triangular also featured a match against Zimmerman, while Friday night the Bulldogs were scheduled to finish the regular season in Delano to take on the Tigers, as well as Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa.
Wins in any of those four remaining matches would give the Bulldogs a school record for most dual wins in school history. Look for complete details of the final four matches and Becker’s pursuit of a school record in next week’s Patriot.
Mpls. North
Last Thursday, the Bulldogs achieved perfection for the second time this season with an 84-0 win over the Polars. Nine forfeits and five falls led to the shutout victory, as Becker’s wrestlers were in top form.
The five Bulldogs who recorded pins were May (120), Paulson (145), Mason Doucette (152), DeWall (195) and Kolby (285).
Picking up forfeit wins over the Polars were Nicolas (106), Isaac Daluge (113), Kaden Rish (126), Ethan Duncombe (132), Angell (138), Rish (160), Ricker (170), Dylan Weber (182), and Brayden Weber (220).
Next up for the Bulldogs will be the team sectional tournament to be held this upcoming week, with round one starting March 10 or 11 depending on Becker’s seed. Round two will be held March 13. The top team finisher in the section tournament will secure a place in the state wrestling tournament.
Individual sections will be held the following week, March 17 and 20, with the top two finishers in each weight class earning a trip to state the following week. In wrestling, the individual and state tournaments are held during the same week.
